Kristy Archuleta
This feature is part of Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Cultivating Healthy Minds program, a member-driven initiative created to raise awareness in the agriculture community regarding mental health and wellbeing.
Having people to lean on no matter what walk of life you are on is something that can be often overlooked.
Dr. Kristy Archuleta, a professor in the University of Georgia’s financial planning program, licensed marriage and family therapist and certified financial therapist, is a huge proponent of having a strong support system, especially when it comes to farming, ranching and mental wellbeing.
“Oftentimes, we think that financial health, mental health, physical health, spiritual health and whatever health you want to talk about – they are all separate things, but they are all interconnected,” Kristy said.
Kristy is no stranger to the farming and ranching way of life. She grew up on a wheat, alfalfa, silage crops and cow/ calf operation in northwest Oklahoma.
“It is really obvious when we think about it on a farm or ranch, where we see all of those things interacting all of the time,” Kristy said. “We are working with family members every day, which can be really stressful during those intense times. We experience economic pressures and stress that are largely out of our control, and the weather is a great example of one of those stressors.
“When those factors are at play, we are experiencing economic pressure, financial stress and that is going to have an impact on our mental health. We can become depressed, or we can become anxious. Not that it is uncommon, it happens, but when it goes to a certain extent, it can become very problematic.”
Just like going to the doctor to fix a broken arm, Kristy said seeking medical attention when experiencing feelings of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions is the best thing a person can do for their farm, ranch, family and friends.
“It is so important for farmers and ranchers to recognize that your fellow farmers and ranchers are also experiencing these symptoms from time to time,” Kristy said. “Whether it is feeling sad and blue, feeling hopeless or feeling anxious, everyone feels that from time to time. That is just part of being human.”
However, if the symptoms have been present for more than two weeks, Kristy recommends seeking help. She not only recommends seeing a physician to explore the possibility of medication but also insists on seeking out a clinically trained therapist, as she believes the combination of the two is most effective.
“Farmers, like many other professionals, are passionate about what they do,” Kristy said. “A lot of times they think if they are experiencing financial hardship they can just work harder to get better, or the other extreme can be them giving up. Neither one of those are good options.
– Dr. Kristy Archuleta
“In the farming community, we tend to expect for others – therefore we expect for ourselves – to work harder, to do more, to take on more to make it work.”
Kristy said this could cause farmers and ranchers to end up in an even worse financial, familial or mental wellbeing situation and instead stresses the importance of recognizing when it is time to seek help. Though seeking help often means seeing a medical professional, financial professionals also play an important role in a person’s mental wellbeing support team.
A relatively new profession, financial therapy is a great avenue for farmers and ranchers to seek because they are proficient in connecting peoples’ mental, emotional and cognitive health around money.
“If you think of your family farm as a business, you have a professional team of people helping you,” Kristy said. “Hopefully, you are seeking help from someone for financial issues, which means someone who is not your tax professional. Someone who can evaluate and look at your whole business, and they can help give you business advice.
“A mental health professional should be a part of your team along with others. All of these different professionals do not really know what the other does. It is important to have all of them on your team and work together with them in coordination.”
While it sometimes is not easy to access a mental health professional, Kristy encourages people to utilize technology when applicable. One just needs connection to internet or a phone with cellular data to talk to a therapist, making it easier than ever to access help.
Kristy knows there is a stigma around mental wellbeing, and she works each and every day to break down those barriers for people to feel more accepting of overcoming the challenges they are facing.
Incorporating mental wellbeing into a part of the farm and ranch health is paramount to ensuring it can be passed on for generations.
“Your family and your community will support you when you seek help,” Kristy said. “Mental health is something we have never talked about, ever. It is time we talked about it.”
